Hotel Group May Impose Tax On Itself

The Central Florida Hotel-Motel Association may call for a voluntary tax on members to promote tourism if Orange County's resort tax is not raised this year.

Bob Stolz, president-elect of the hotel association, said Friday that hoteliers in the area still are hopeful that the Legislature will allow the county to increase its resort tax from 2 percent to 3 percent. However, a dispute between the city and the county over revenue to build a downtown arena threatens the increase. State Sen. George Stuart, D-Orlando, has vowed to kill a tax increase if the county does not agree to the city's plan to start building an arena by 1987.

The hotel group wants the tax raised to 3 percent so some of the additional money can be used to increase the budget of the Orlando-Orange County Convention and Visitors Bureau. The county has agreed to contribute to the budget if the resort tax is increased.

If there is no tax increase, the hotel group may tax itself to help the convention bureau, Stolz said. A voluntary tax, he said, may mean that a few hotels ''could end up carrying the ball'' and would be a short-term answer to the call for a larger bureau budget.